The Game Changer Job
by Sylam
Summary: The Leverage team has found their new mark: Panem. In order to take down this horrible country where teenagers are forced to slaughter each other in an arena, Nate has an idea: Let's go steal the Hunger Games! To do that they will need to help a sixteen-year-old girl to win the game.
1. Chapter 1: Panem

**A/N: **Hello,everyone. This is my first-ever fanfiction. It may not be very good, but I sincerely hope you will like it. Please leave me some comment, whether you like it or not. I'm open to criticism. I'll need all sort of opinions I can get :)

The Game Changer Job is a crossover of Leverage and the Hunger Games.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Panem**

"Alright, guys," said Nathan Ford with a smug, and walked away without further explanation. "Let's go steal some Hunger Games."

"Oh I like that one! Sounds original._ 'Steal the Hunger Games',_" Parker smiled widely and hopped out of the hotel room. "Wonder why we didn't do that earlier."

Following her out was Eliot Spencer who rolled his eyes at her reaction.

"Something's wrong with her," he complained to the whole room, as if they didn't know about that. Sophie Devereaux had to suppress a giggle when Alec Hardison answered with a _that's-Parker-what-do-you-expect_ look.

And so they had a plan.

* * *

_Three days ago._

"What are you doing, Nate?" Sophie entered the team's temporary headquarter and found Nate digging himself into a pile of what looked like boring information.

"Checking out our next client," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh, c'mon, Nate," Sophie wasn't very enthusiastic about having another job. "We've taken down two CEOs and a billionaire this month already. We deserve a vacation!"

"I know, I know," Nate put up his hands in defense and said. "But this job is a bit different."

He asked before she could say anything. "Ever heard of Panem?"

"Of course. It's a dictatorship due north from here, dangerous place to go to I heard," she answered immediately. "What about Panem?"

Nate smiled a mysterious smile.

"We are going to take down the whole country."

For a moment Sophie just stared at him wild-eyed.

"They're gonna think you're crazy," she sighed and said when she realized she didn't heard that wrong.

* * *

"You're crazy, Nate."

It was Eliot who said it first, and he was supported by the quizzical gazes of Hardison and Parker. Sophie just looked at Nate. _See?_

"Nobody takes down Panem," Hardison added. "You can take down a dozen of CEOs, billionaires, politicians. Hell, you can take down any government you hate, but _nobody_ touches Panem and President Snow. It's just impossible."

"That's why we're doing it," Nate said. "Panem must go down and nobody inside that country would be stupid enough to try."

"Well, somebody did try to do that, seventy-four years ago, and they failed. One of the districts actually got destroyed completely," said Eliot. Everyone turned to look at him.

"And you know that how?" asked Hardison.

"I know someone who is a citizen there," he answered, as if he didn't understand how the other didn't guess that simple fact. "He gave me some history lessons when I happened to pass by that land years ago."

Nate didn't even bother to ask the man why on earth he would pass by the most dangerous land on the entire planet years ago.

"A little correction there," he pointed out. "That district you were talking about? District 13? It wasn't destroyed."

"How do you know that?" This time it was Parker who asked the question.

"I've been studying some propaganda videos made by their government about the consequences of revolution. They keep on stressing the fact that District 13 is still in ruins and that the mines there are too toxic for any human being to approach," he turned to Hardison. "Hardison? Can you put those footages up on the screen?"

Hardison did what he was told.

"See it there? It was the live report about the district, filmed six years ago. Look at the corner there, right after the reporter said 'back to the Capitol'."

Everyone looked hard. Then, they all saw it: A glimpse of a bird flying by in the corner of the screen.

"And now," Nate continued. "This is another live footage of the same story two weeks ago… Right there, see it? The very same bird, a mockingjay, if I'm not wrong, was flying by at the same corner."

"That doesn't mean anything," Sophie questioned. "Like they say, it was still dangerous to enter the zone, perhaps they just don't want to risk their lives."

"Possible, but unlikely," Nate explained. "You see, a government like the Capitol, they are predictable. They don't care if it is harmful or not. They can sacrifice some reporters' health and send them into the area just to make a point, to show how much damage the last uprising had caused; to plant fear into people's mind. If the reporter was sick after that, it would be a bonus. They would have another story to write about, but instead, they didn't even bother to actually send anyone into the district. Clearly, they are hiding something. The best guess? District 13 wasn't destroyed at all. People still live there—underground, maybe—and those people had made a truce of some kind with the Capitol. Basically something like 'if you leave us alone we will keep to ourselves and be good, without causing any problem to your authority'."

They were still skeptical about it when Hardison suddenly said.

"Wow, wow… Man, I've been checking out the frequency status of all the districts in Panem and I've received a huge amount of electrostatic signals, radio signal and stuff from District 13…"

"English, man," snapped Eliot impatiently.

"In other word, Nate is right," he explained. "Not only District 13 exists, but they have the entire system working. Electricity, water supply, security system… _Everything_. I bet they even have an organized government system, none of those show up in the satellite images though."

"So they really live underground?" Parker suddenly got excited. "That's cool! I've never lived underground before."

Everyone just tuned her out automatically.

"And that," Nate stood up, ready to walk away as he always did.

"Is where we will go."


	2. Chapter 2: The Client

**A/N: The story continues. The scenes are going a bit slow. I hope it can get better later. Again, please comment so I can improve :)**

**Chapter 2: The Client**

When the team first arrived at the district and asked to meet their president, they completely ignored them. They just shoved them to some refugee area and treat them as some escapees from the other twelve districts.

It wasn't until Sophie used some of her weird neurolinguistic programming tactics to link the idea of the team and "emergency" together did the guard finally agreed to contact President Coin for them.

"So," Coin didn't waste time on greeting them. "Which district are you people from and why is it so urgent to talk to me?"

"Um, ma'am," Nate told her. "We are not coming from any of the twelve districts. We are not even Panem citizens…"

It took an entire hour for them to explain the whole situation and their offer.

"So what you're telling me is that the five of you outsiders here," Coin paused to take a good look at each of them. "Are going to take down the Capitol all by yourselves."

"Exactly," Nate said, frustrated by how much time that arrogant woman took to take in what they said. "And after we succeed, you will be the one who rule the country."

"But what are you in for?" Coin obviously looked tempted, she was as power-hungry as any politician after all, but still, she wasn't stupid.

"We? We just want to help those who need help," Nate smiled. "A client has contacted us and asked us to do that for him."

"And who would that client be?" Coin asked. At this moment even the rest of the team was staring at Nate. They knew they had a client, but Nate didn't speak of him until now.

"Some stylist from the Capitol," he answered.

"A man named Cinna," he added.

* * *

When Cinna asked for District 12, he really wanted to make a difference. By helping the one district where odds were all against it. He thought he could let all the people see that the districts weren't as hopeless as the Capitol wanted everyone to think; that they had the right to survive.

All those fantasies in his mind vanished after him and Portia finished designing the burning costumes. He realized how little all his work could accomplish.

That night, he went home and turned on an antique computer that had been passing down his family for quite a while now. No one in the Capitol used that kind of network system. It was his only chance to contact the outside world without being busted. He spread out a message on the internet in the hope that someone might actually be brave and selfless enough to help this nation. President Snow needed to go down.

Of course he realized how little that chance was. Panem was almost an unspeakable country to outsiders and he couldn't offer anything in return. What he didn't foresee was that ten minutes after sending out that message he got the reply. It was from a man named Nate Ford.

Ford told him he could help. He said he would help him take down Snow at all costs. When Cinna said he couldn't pay him anything, he assured him it didn't matter. They made their money by other means. Ford and his team helped those who couldn't find or afford any help. Basically someone like Cinna himself.

After a few more messages, Cinna finally understood what those men were. They were con men. _Great._

In this country there were already dictators and murderers. Why not a few more con men?

* * *

_Two days later._

President Coin didn't really trust the team, but with their generous offer of her being the next president of the nation, she was kind enough to let them use a small conference room in the huge underground structure as the team's base when staying in the district.

"Alright, Hardison, run it," Nate adjust the way he sat a bit and said.

"Right," Hardison picked up the remote and took control all the monitors in the room, both the ones on wall and on the desk. "Here's our mark, President Snow. The man had been running this continent for quite a while now."

Snow's face was shown on every monitor in the room.

"Now the country, Panem, is real messed up," Hardison continued. Apparently two days of indulging himself in the political condition of Panem had made him the expert of the country. "Ever heard of the Hunger Games?"

"Sure," said Eliot. "They'd ask twenty-four teenagers, aged between twelve and eighteen, to attend some sort of fight-to-the-death contest. The last one standing will be the victor. It was a game designed by the capitol seventy-four years ago to punish the twelve districts' uprising against the Capitol and has been held every year since then. No rules. Um… well, I've heard cannibalism is not encouraged though." He actually sounded amused by the game.

The whole team stared at him, waiting for him to explain how he knew that. Hardison swore to himself if that man ever said anything about a "distinctive game" he would punch him immediately. He didn't really care about the consequences. _No, wait, maybe he did care._ Punching Eliot in the face was one thing, but getting punched in the face by Eliot after that could result in casualties.

"Remember that friend of mine I've been talking about?" he said. "He is a victor himself. Won the game twenty-four years ago."

"Teenagers?" Sophie exclaimed. "How can they do that? Forcing someone to commit a crime is bad enough, asking innocent children to kill? That's unforgivable!"

"Yeah," Nate answered. "And that's why we are taking Snow down."

"How?" asked Parker.

"This."

Nate pointed to the big screen on the wall, where a poster read "The 74th Hunger Games: Coming Soon" was on. The team looked at the poster in confuse.

"Now, we know Hunger Games was held by the Capitol to remind everyone of the uprising years ago, right?" Nate was getting more and more excited at his own idea.

"In other word, they want to send a message. They want everyone to know that they are in control; that they can take whatever lives in the twelve districts. So if we can prove that there is something the Capitol can't control…"

"People will stop fearing them," Sophie suddenly understood. "They will lose their respect to the Capitol."

"Right," the mastermind smiled at her quick understanding. "See? We don't even need to take down the government ourselves. All we need to do is to remove the fear that the Capitol had planted so deep in its citizens' mind and let _them_ take down the country."

"Ho… Hold on a minute, man," Hardison seemed horrified at that idea. "You are saying that we will provoke an uprising?"

"Nate, the last time a revolution burst out, a lot of people were killed," Eliot also looked at Nate in disapproval. "And they didn't make it in the end. What makes you think it will work this time?"

"The last time it happened," Nate grinned. "We weren't there."

That was when Parker looked all in to this job, and Eliot didn't like that. _That crazy girl loved whatever dangerous_. Watching the team's back won't be so easy this time.

"So how are we gonna do that?" Eliot sighed and asked, accepting the fact that nothing he said could change his boss's mind.

"First, we are gonna choose our own victor," Nate had definitely expected that question coming and his answer was well-prepared. "The one who can win the game and gain the audience's respect at the same time."

He gave Hardison a sign and the young computer genius started to play some footage on screen.

"These videos come from what they call the 'reaping' of the game, took place just earlier today," Hardison told them. "Basically what happens is that the host of each district would gave a lecture to the districts about the great purpose of holding the Games and then draw two names—one male, one female— out of those large fishbowls. Those whose names were drawn will become the 'tributes' of their districts and will have to attend the Hunger Games. That is, of course, unless someone else volunteer to join the Games."

"But who would join the game voluntarily? Twenty-four go in and one comes out, who would want to take that chance?" Parker asked what was on Sophie's mind.

"Those who can't wait to have someone else's blood on their hand," Eliot answered grimly. "Those who were trained to be killing machines practically since they can walk."

For a while, the air seemed to have stopped in the conference room as everyone was digesting those words.

_Killing machines. Teenagers_. Even being criminals for their entire life they had a hard time putting the two concepts together.

On the screen Hardison had captured the faces of few of the tributes this year.

"Now, Nate has asked me to do some background check on each of those tributes and find out who's interesting enough to be the victor we want. Here are the four I think worth a look." He'd clicked a few more buttons and played the first footage.

"The first one," he introduced. "Cato, male tribute from District 2. He volunteered to be a tribute. Strong-built, well-trained, a born-killer basically. I have to say, the odds are in his favor." He had picked up some trade-mark lines of the Capitol people from indulging himself in all those footages.

"Definitely not," Nate waved off the idea of helping that boy to win. "He's way too violent and ruthless."

On the other hand, Sophie was focusing on the host of the reaping.

"Blimey, look at her face… eel… and the hair…" she turned back to Nate. "I say we take them down just for their make-ups."

Hardison pretended he didn't hear anything and moved on.

"Ok then. Next, Thresh from District 11. Quiet boy, exceptionally strong. I think he has quite a style."

"This could work," Nate contemplated. "But what we need is someone more special than that. A black horse, maybe?"

"How about the next one," Hardison switched the footage. "Rue, the female tribute from the same district. Twelve-year-old, the oldest of six in the family, the youngest of twenty-four tributes in this year's Games."

"She looks smart and innocent enough," Sophie commented, and then sighed. "She's so young. She deserves to live." To that, Nate didn't say anything.

Instead, he just focused on the job as always.

"Show us the last one."

"Sure," Hardison played another footage. "Katniss Everdeen, sixteen-year-old. Daughter to a miner, who died in a mine accident years ago. She is also the tribute our client will be responsible as a stylist for. I'm sure she's been hunting illegally outside her district with another boy for quite some years now, according to some old satellite images I've got."

"What's so special about her?" asked Eliot.

"Well she's a volunteer," he explained, and the rest looked even less amused.

"No, wait," Hardison continued speaking while showing them the complete video of her district's reaping. "Before you say anything, she did not volunteer because she wanted to be part of the Games."

The team watched when a little girl's named was called, _Primrose Everdeen_. The desperation in her eyes was clear for everyone to see. Then there she was, screaming the little girl's name, gasping that she'd volunteer. Now it's clear for the team. She volunteered to save her little sister.

The whole scene took their breath away: The way Katniss Everdeen pushed away her sister protectively; the way that little girl crying and screaming Katniss's name, begging her not to go; the way Katniss Everdeen refused to cry, to show weakness on screen.

"That's her," Nate finally said.

"She will be our victor."


	3. Chapter 3: The Covers

**Chapter 3: The Covers**

They arrived at the Capitol a day later by train. With valid train tickets and ID passes forged by Hardison, the make-ups in Capitol style done by people in district 13 (the boys were reluctant to put on the rainbow-colored eyeliner, but, like Sophie said, they didn't have a choice), their arrival didn't draw any suspicion.

They found themselves a hotel close to the City Circle, where the opening ceremony would take place that very evening. Again, they didn't draw any attention since a lot of other Capitol people had booked themselves some rooms weeks ago in order to be near to the City Circle to watch the opening ceremony first-handed. All they needed to do was to alter the hotel computer record so that it looked like they'd booked a room for the next two weeks half a month ago.

It was a piece of cake for Hardison.

"Hi," Sophie and Nate walked towards the reception desk, posing as a couple, while the others waited upstairs. They all agreed to let Sophie did the talking, since she was the only one who could put on the perfect Capitol accent naturally (which actually wasn't much different from her original British accent).  
"We've booked a room for two, a president suite, actually," she smiled politely at the receptionist.  
"Your name, please?" the male receptionist, who couldn't quite resist that smile, was already clicking on the computer.  
"Popodokolos," Sophie showed the man their IDs. "James and Charlotte Popodokolos."  
Sophie suggested using this alias since it was the strangest name the team had ever come up with. ("It is a weird place," she'd said to Nate. "Weird places need weird names.")

It turned out that was a good idea. The receptionist didn't blink an eye at their names. He double-checked their flawless fake IDs and handed them the key card to their room.

"Nate," Eliot said once they'd settle down in the luxurious president suite. "You do realize that by choosing the Everdeen girl we'll need to let the other kids die right in front of our eyes, right?"

"Let's hope it will be the last Hunger Games ever happen, then," Nate answered, expressionless. "We can't save everyone."

"So, what's the plan?" asked Sophie.  
"First step," Nate said. "We'll need a Gamemaker."

_An hours later Sophie Devereaux showed up in the Gamemakers squad holding a credential so legit that no one in the squad dare question her.  
"Charlotte Prentice-Popodokolos," she smiled to every one of the Gamemakers and said. "I'm new to this. Jeez, can you believe how many processes I have to go through just to successfully get transferred here? All the paperwork… Luckily I've made it in time to join you before the grand opening begins!"  
Something in Sophie's smile always did the trick: She could easily gain the marks' trust. Of course, her fake Capitol accent and the abnormally high pitch also worked on them quite well._

_Right now Sophie was in this ridiculous bright yellow dress and her wig in the same color, not to mention the heavy make-up on her face, but somehow all those allowed her to fit right in._

"What? Why me?" Sophie protested after she realized everyone's gaze was fixed on her. "I don't wanna wear those clown costumes ever again!"  
"I think you look nice in them," Parker said whole-heartedly. Sophie just glared at her.  
"Maybe Parker can do it," she was still fighting. "You don't mind the costumes, do you?" Parker shook his head. She found the dresses fun.

"No, no, no, it has to be you," Nate said. "You are the best grifter. You know how to manipulate those Gamemakers and stuff. Besides, we may need Parker for other things."

He paused for a while to think.

"Um… what else…" he had that calculating look on his face again. "Oh yes, we'll need an inside man that can get close to Katniss and her team. That way we can have a chance to communicate with her, and maybe some other interested parties as well."

"How?" Eliot asked the crucial question. "They've got guards in the place the tributes will be staying. All those Capitol people? They are the government's eyes and ears. If they see any sign of an intruder or disturbance, they will pull the alarm for sure."

"Yeah," Hardison added. "And don't forget that building will probably be stashed with cameras and microphones. They'd want to keep a close eye on their tributes."

"Hm…" That gave Nate a new idea. "Cameras and microphones, huh? Why don't you hack in and check out what kind of surveillance the building has, Hardison?"

"Hack in… Seriously?" Hardison looked at his boss in outrage. "Man, this is the Panem system you're talking about. Got it? _The_ Panem! There computer technology is completely different to the outside. I'll first need to find the right type of linguistic program of their network and… and…" In spite of what he'd just said, he was already trying to do whatever it was he'd just said.

Finally, after five minutes of Hardison doing his magic, the monitors in the room now showed the different angles inside the Training Center, the place where all the tributes and their team would be staying in the next few days before the Games actually began. Right at this moment, they could see people rushing in and out of different rooms to make the beds, preparing the food and do some last minute checks before the tributes moved in.

"Good job, Hardison," Nate watched the screen and said indifferently, submerged into his own thought.  
"'Good job, Hardison'?" he sighed. "If you were a geek you would be so impressed by what I've just done." The team simply ignored him.

"So how do we get inside the building right under their nose without them noticing at all?" Nate thought out loud. "We need to be invisible, to be someone that no one would take a second glance even if you're standing right in front of them…"

"How about them?" Parker, who hadn't spoke for quite a while suddenly pointed at the screen. She was pointing at two young men in white tunics who were moving a table to the center of the room. No one took notice of their presence. The only time they communicate with others was when they were given the order to move that table, and they answered only with a nod.

"The Avoxes? That's actually not a bad idea, Parker," said Eliot.  
"Avoxes are the people who've broke the Capitol's law. Most of them are referred to as 'traitors' of the country. The Capitol cut off their tongue and have them to do all kind of works for them. People only talk to them when they are giving an order. My friend talked a lot about them because he particularly despises this kind of punishment."  
He explained to the team.

"Look at them," said Sophie, pointing to another footage where a girl in the same white outfit was totally ignored by the passersby. "They really are invisible!"  
"Yes," Nate decided. "They are perfect.

_Two hours later Eliot sneaked into the laundry section in the basement of the Training Center while Hardison disabled the security cameras around the area. He took one of those white Avox outfits and put it on._

_Now, he was invisible._

"Finally," Nate continued. "We need the blue print of the arena."

"Here," said Hardison while pulling out a little black transmitter and giving it to Sophie.  
"Once you get access to their computers, stick this onto the mainframe. This will allow me to pull out whatever information about the games from their hard drives."

"Good," Nate said. "The rest of the con will play out once we've got their plan."  
"Now we wait," said Eliot.  
"Now we wait," agreed Nate.

They stayed in the hotel room for another hour to do the last-minute preparation. Sophie tried her best to look less comical in her all-yellow outfit, until Nate stopped her and reminded her "the weirder the better, remember?"

Eliot and Hardison observed the guards' patrol time around the Training Center while Parker tried on different Capitol clothes lent by District 13. She was exceptionally fond of a flame-red dress and the white wig.

When it was time to leave and everyone knew his role, Nate gestured to the rest of the team.

"Alright, guys," said Nate with a smug, and walked away without further explanation. "Let's go steal some Hunger Games."

"Oh I like that one! Sounds original._ 'Steal the Hunger Games',_" Parker smiled widely and hopped out of the hotel room. "Wonder why we didn't do that earlier."

Following her out was Eliot who rolled his eyes at her reaction.

"Something's wrong with her," he complained to the whole room, as if they didn't know about that. Sophie had to suppress a giggle when Hardison answered with a _that's-Parker-what-do-you-expect_ look.

And so they had a plan.

.

* * *

.

**A/N: So this is the new chapter. I should probably have mentioned earlier that English is not my first language, as you might have noticed from the way I write. I just jope I haven't made any serious mistakes (if I have, please tell me in the reviews), both in terns of grammars and contents. Thanks for reading my story :)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Infiltration

**A/N: A beloved character joined this chapter! I know I'm not doing very well but please give me some reviews! At least I'll know how I can improve (and whether I have made any serious mistake).**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Infiltration**

The Opening Ceremony was an impressive way to show off the Capitol's wealth: It was huge.

Sitting in the Gamemaker Squad watching the live feed of the opening parade, Sophie surprised herself by actually enjoying the show. It was amazing to see the different outfit designs of the tribute, and their shoes, as one could probably foresee, was the centre of Sophie's attention.

When District Twelve appeared the crowd went wild. Sophie had to blink twice to believe what she was looking at. They were on fire! No, wait, they were not on fire. _They were wearing the fire_. Some narrator pointed out how brilliant the idea was to present District 12 as a coal mining district.  
"After all," the dramatic voice said in the background. "We are all through with their coal miner outfit, aren't we? Just look at her… It was just unbelievable! The crowd loves her!"

"People, I don't care what you say but our client is a genius!" She whispered to her earbud.  
"Yes, he is," Nate answered. He and Parker were buried by the crowd who was waving and screaming Katniss Everdeen's name.

* * *

Eliot was walking himself around the Training Center to get to know more about the place before the tributes and their crew actually moved in. Hardison was helping him through it.  
"Now the levels are based on the district, which means you should probably check out level twelve," said Hardison while studying a blueprint of the center he pulled from their network.

Without making a sound, Eliot followed his instruction.

He entered the elevator with a Capitol woman from one of the tributes' crews. He didn't tense up and the woman didn't take notice of him. Eliot was really satisfied with his cover. Of all the identities he had used this was the only one that he could actually be unnoticeable. _Perfect._

The woman stepped out on the fifth floor while Eliot went on to the twelfth.  
"Good, make a right and you'll see the girl's bedroom."  
Eliot slightly tilted his head to peep inside the room. "Big" wasn't even close enough to describe that room.

He turned back in front and almost bumped into a man in the same Avox outfit he was wearing. The man looked at Eliot, confused. There were supposed to be only two Avoxes on each floor: One male, one female. He didn't know why there was a third Avox.

"Eliot," Hardison's voice came from the earbud. He was busy replacing the camera footage so that no one would see the two men in white tunics standing face-to-face on the twelfth floor. "The two of you cannot show up in the same floor at the same time. They will know something is wrong."  
"I'm sorry, mister," Eliot murmured and punched the Avox in his face. He wasn't sure what he would do next. Maybe he would hide the unconscious man in some closet, he didn't know, but right now all he knew was he had to immobilize the man first. That was why he threw that punch.

Only he missed.

The Avox looked shocked when Eliot spoke, but he had quick reflexes. He dodged Eliot's attack and immediately punched back. Eliot was the best hitter one had ever seen but he was unprepared. He got hit in the stomach hard and stepped back a little. He didn't have the time to wonder why the hell would an Avox know MMA and be so good at it. He kicked back at the Avox and while the man was busy blocking his leg, he took the chance to grab both his arms and locked them tight. He pulled the man close and bashed him with his head. The man, like Eliot did earlier, fell back, but didn't drop.

Suddenly both of them stopped attacking and smiled at each other: You'd gotta respect someone who knew what he was doing.

"You're good," said Eliot, expecting another smile from the silent man. Instead, the man did something he would never expect: He answered.

"You are not so bad yourself."

* * *

When the parade had finished and the tributes had all arrived at the City Circle, Nate told Parker they should probably go back and check how the others were doing.

As they walked they realized most people around were introducing different tributes to each other.  
"I think those two will be great fighters…"  
"She is definitely one of a kind. Did you see her…"  
"I wouldn't say that! Of course he won't be the underdog, he…"

They walked around for a while, occasionally made responses (Nate did most of the talking, of course) to others' comments about the districts they rooted for. Finally a woman named Effie Trinket approached them to introduce them Katniss Everdeen and the male tribute from the same district named Peeta Mellark.

"I really don't know about that, Miss Trinkets," Nate knew he shouldn't make things too smooth, so he pretended to have reservation. "After all, District 12 isn't exactly famous for generating victors, is it?"  
"Well they mine coal alright," the terrifying woman said. "But you know what? If you put enough pressure on coals they turn to pearls!"

Trinket was obviously pleased at the clever response she came up with, but Parker wasn't.  
"But coal doesn't…" she stopped when Nate hit her with his elbow.  
"I have to say, that's a valid point, Miss Trinket," he smiled as if he was satisfied and pulled Parker away. The Capitol woman seemed to be very proud of herself.

"Coals don't turn into pearl," Parker finally finished her sentence when they walked far away enough. "They don't even turn into diamonds."  
"I know," Nate smiled and said. "I just don't want to ruin her fantasy."

* * *

Eliot, posing as an Avox, offered some wine to the dinner table. The girl, Katniss Everdeen, had thought about turning it down. He could see the hesitation in her eyes, but she accepted it in the end.

It amazed the whole team how people had yet to question Eliot's identity. After all, the Avoxes were assigned to each floor specifically. Someone should realize if the face of an Avox had changed mysteriously, especially when the original Avox was about two inches taller than Eliot. Even their hair had different color: The Avox was blonde.

Eliot took his time of offering drinks to familiarize himself with the party in the dining room: There was Katniss Everdeen, of course, Peeta Mellark, the male tribute of District 12, Effie Trinket, a freaky woman whose role Eliot could only described as the manager of the two kids, Cinna, their client, aka the genius stylist as Sophie had mentioned, who didn't know Eliot's identity, and his partner, Portia. Someone was missing, he frowned a little bit. Somehow he couldn't think of who else was supposed to be here. In a "game" like the Hunger Games, there should be one more person in the crew.

The participants, the manager, the stylists… Someone was missing in the scene. _Dammit_, he couldn't think. _Imagine it as a fighting ring, you have the fighters, the judge, and the…_

This was when Haymitch Abernathy walked into the dining room.

_Oh yes, the coach._

Haymitch looked a bit hung-over, but he was sober enough to take a glimpse at Eliot and signed him to give him some wine. The two men held each other's glance for a brief second and both looked away quickly before anyone else noticed.

* * *

Nate was watching the party of District 12 having their dinner and trying to plan their next move when he heard someone knock on the hotel door. He opened to door and welcomed the man outside into the room.

It was the Avox Eliot tried and failed to knock out.

* * *

_An hour ago._

"What, you managed to infiltrate the Training Center, which is highly secured, under the watch of the Capitol, which is extremely paranoid, but somehow a talking Avox startles you?" The blonde Avox smirked and continued talking to Eliot.

"Well, something like that," Eliot smiled back and said. "Who are you?"  
"Me? Believe it or not, but I am a real Avox," the man shrugged.  
"So how did you get to keep that tongue?"  
"I beat the crap out of the man who was supposed to cut out my tongue. He said something about being killed if he didn't do his job, aka be-muting me, properly, so I told him if he would just stop trying to cut me I would act like an Avox and not letting anyone know he failed. End of story. Now what's yours?"  
"Nothing special. My job is to infiltrate the center and wait for further instruction," Eliot didn't feel like giving out too much information about their job.

"Is that right?" the Avox contemplated that for a while, knowing Eliot was holding something back but also knowing there was no way he would share everything about his mission. Suddenly he saw an opportunity placed right in front of him. It was the one he'd been waiting for months.

"You know what?" He offered. "I've been around for about five months now. I know a lot about this place. I don't really care what it is you're planning to do, but if you and whoever it is you are working with would just get me out of this place I might be able to give you some valuable information."

It sounded like a fair deal. Eliot had only known the man for about ten minutes but something about the Avox reminded him of a professional, someone who was in the same business as he had once been in. That kind of person knew well: A deal was a deal. They would never make a promise they couldn't keep.

The Avox, seeing the tiny bit of uncertainty in Eliot's eyes, continued speaking.  
"Either that or you'll wait and see what will happen when those dumbasses finally count one extra man in the facility. They are ridiculously stupid, but they still know how to count."

Eliot let out a small laugh. Carrot and stick. _A professional, just as he thought._  
"You hear that Nate?" he talked to the earbud. The Avox raised an eyebrow: He didn't realize he was talking to the whole team the entire time.

"I do hear that," Nate's voice answered after a short pause. He seemed to have decided to trust the man as well. "And you can tell the man we have a deal."

Eliot shook the Avox's hand to make a deal while he was listening to Nate's order to Hardison.  
"Hardison, can you loop the security footage and let our new friend walk right out of the front door?"

"You know," Eliot said while leading the Avox to grab some normal, if one could call it, Capitol outfits and exit the building. "I still haven't caught your name."  
"I haven't caught yours either."  
"Name's Eliot Spencer," he said that as a goodwill offering.

"Really?" The man looked interested. "I've heard of that name. Damn, we should've fought some more just now." The man wasn't just saying. He actually looked sincerely regretted.  
"Well we can do it some time, after the job here's done," Eliot smiled. He meant what he said. The man was a skilled fighter and it wasn't a bad idea to find out which of them is better, though he believed he probably could've brought the Avox down just now if the man hadn't caught him off guarded.

"Sure," said the excited Avox.

"The name's Quinn by the way," added the Avox.

* * *

Eliot spotted the Mellark kid brought the girl up to the roof of the Training Center and brought her back down. _Smart kid, that Peeta Mellark,_ he thought to himself. Hardison had mentioned the roof was the only blind spot of the security cameras in the entire building. The wind there also interfered with the hidden microphones. It was the perfect spot to meet privately. He wondered what those two had said to each other.

"You! Avox!" A rude voice cut into his thoughts. Eliot turned to see Haymitch Abernathy, slightly drunk, pointed at him. "Follow me to the roof, will ya? It's a mess up there."  
Eliot nodded silently and followed.

After they went up to the roof there were no more cameras. The team could only hear what was going on through Eliot's earbud.

"So," Haymitch sounded about ten times more sober than he was downstairs when he spoke to Eliot up here.

"Can you please be kind enough to tell me WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE IN PANEM, ELIOT SPENCER?"


	5. Chapter 5: Haymitch

**A/N: Hi, sorry it takes a bit longer than usual, but the semester is about to start and I've got a lot of things to be taken care of, being a freshman and all. And I would like to thank you all for your alerts and reviews (Though, due to some reason I do not know, the latter can't be shown properly here. I'm hoping some of you may be able to tell me if I've got any of the settings wrong.)**

**Oh and regarding Alyssa A's review about Coin, all I can say is the team is very smart ;-) But I have to admit that this story mainly focus on the first book, so that matter may have to be dealt with in later chapters.**

**Ok, here it is. Just a short chapter though.**

**Chapter 5: Haymitch**

_The team didn't know, but one of Eliot's aliases was actually named after Haymitch._

_Once he walked into a ballroom portraying as some surgeon. When he was asked for a name he said the first name that came to his mind.  
"Abernathy," he'd said then. "Doctor Abernathy."_

"Can you please be kind enough to tell me WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE IN PANEM, ELIOT SPENCER?" Haymitch asked him on the roof once they were sure no one was watching.

Haymitch wasn't exactly shouting (he wouldn't want to risk being overheard) but since he started the conversation in a whisper his voice caused everyone wearing the earbud jumped.

"Will there be a problem, Eliot?" asked Nate.  
"No, not at all," Eliot said while touching the earbud in his ear, indicating the presence of his team to Haymitch. The latter let out a groan.  
"Jeez, who have you brought with you this time?" Haymitch sighed. "I haven't quite forgot the last time you set foot in this country, Spencer. I had to fight off an army for you!"

Inside the hotel room Quinn laughed at Haymitch's comment, knowing it was absolutely possible that Eliot would run to Panem, passing all guards and security systems and stuff, with an entire army on his tail. _It actually sounded exciting._ Parker and Hardison looked at each other, silently agreed that it was probably not the most dangerous situation Eliot had ever been in. Nate frowned at that but didn't say anything, knowing Haymitch Abernathy was the victor friend Eliot had been talking about.

"Always nice to see you, Haymitch."  
"Wish I could say the same to you," Haymitch shook his head. "What brings you here?"  
"A job."  
"And what will that job be?"

To that, Eliot hesitated. Knowing Haymitch, he could probably trust him not to sabotage their job here, but he worried that it might bring the man even more trouble than that army he helped fighting off.

Nate's voice came through his earbud.  
"Eliot, why don't you give him your spare comm?"

Eliot wanted to say something, but quickly gave up. He gave Haymitch his second earbud, telling him to put it in his ear.

"Good evening, Mr. Abernathy. My name is Nate Ford…"

* * *

The next day would be the tributes' first training day. After Haymitch had discussed with Peeta and Katniss everything he thought was important, he remembered to give them Nate's advice too.

"One last thing. In public, I want you by each other's side every minute," he ordered, presenting it as if it was his own idea, just like that Nate Ford had told him to. When the kids opened their mouths to protest he even got as far as slamming his hand on the table.  
"Every minute! It's not open for discussion! You agreed to do as I said! You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training."

After the two kids left Haymitch sighed in relief.  
"You did great," Nate assured him through his earbud.

* * *

"Mr. Ford, I don't understand. What exactly are you planning to do?" Haymitch had asked when he first talked to that Ford guy the night before.  
"Well, it's not so hard to understand. The president, the murders, the games… Do you want all these to end?" the man on the other side asked him back.  
"Of course, sir," he didn't even hesitate to answer. "I've been wanting that for my entire life."  
"Good," said Nate. "'Cause this is exactly what we are gonna do: We will take down your government." For a moment Haymitch thought he'd heard that wrong, but Nate continued speaking and every word he said rang in his brain.  
"We will stop the Capitol's rule. We will take Snow down. That's something me and my team are very good at. Only we'll need your help."

"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked.  
"You don't. You don't even know me," the man answered quickly. "But do you think you can trust Eliot?"

Haymitch turned and looked at his old friend. Eliot stared at him resolutely. Haymitch knew exactly what kind of man he was.

"Yes," he said firmly to Eliot. "I trust you."

.

* * *

.

**Sorry that this chapter is _really_ short. Like I said, I was kinda busy this week. (And my lack of inspiration is probably another reason.) The next chapter won't be out so soon since I'll be away for a few days of family trip. My apology for that.**

**Again, please tell me if I've made any mistake. And don't forget to let me know what you think can be improved in the story.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Training

**Note: Hey there! I know it's been a while but I finally have enough time and inspiration to write a new chapter. Hurray for me :)**

**Special thanks to CrazedFangirl, Alyssa A and the guest for reviewing, especially to Alyssa A for your continuing support! I hope this chapter can answer your last question ;)**

**And it would seem that the review thing have finally worked out, yay! (The review number was weird, though.)**

**As usual, if you find any mistakes, or anything that doesn't make sense, please tell me in the review, or PM me if you like.**

**Hope you like this chapter.**

**Chapter 6: The Training**

The first thing Katniss noticed when she stepped in the training room was the blonde girl in the knot-tying section. Of all the trainers in the room she looked the most… out of place. She was slim with her long hair tied in one neat ponytail in her back. What caught Katniss's attention was the way she looked at other trainers. Years of hunting experiences allowed Katniss to place those glances: She was observing. Her eyes strongly resembled the eyes of Katniss's preys over the years when they scouted out the area, right before her arrows shot through those eyes or Gale's traps did their duty.

"So, where would you like to start?" Peeta's question drew her attention back from the blonde.  
"Suppose we tie some knots," she answered almost immediately. Her curiosity wouldn't allow her to let the trainer go easily. Besides, she had no intention to show off anything in the fighting ring like those brainless, arrogant Careers did anyway.  
"Right you are," was all Peeta said and without another word they walked to the knot-tying area together.

The trainer smiled at both of them when they arrived at the counter. She looked pleased to have any student at all, but more than that, Katniss realized, something in her smile made it almost seem as if the strange blonde trainer knew her, not just as "District Twelve" or "the girl on fire", but as Katniss Everdeen.

"So," the trainer started. "How much do you know about knots?"  
"Just some simple snares," Katniss admitted and glanced sideway at Peeta to saw him shake his head. The trainer smiled again.

"Snares are cool," she said. "But I want to show you the kind of knot that you can use on _yourselves_ in case you have to drop down from twenty feet above the ground and you want to be left unscratched." The trainer's face flushed from excitement, almost as if she would fairly enjoy the fall she mentioned.

Katniss swallowed. Okay, that was officially getting weird.

* * *

"_Parker."_

Nate's calm but stern voice from her earbud was the hint for Parker that she really should not look over-excited about any kind of fall that _normal people_ found scary. She really didn't get it. To figure out everything those people out there were afraid of, she had a better chance counting out every single thing that they were _not_ afraid of.

She secretly sighed. Apparently people were supposed to be scared to death by a ten feet drop when most of them found horses cute. _What's up with that?_

After few minutes of Parker explaining how the knot worked, and how it could balance their body weights so that their bones would be unharmed from the rope after the fall, she watched both of them practice.

About an hour later Parker decided it would be enough when the girl was able to tie the rope around her body within seconds and the boy, with some struggles, finally mastered the principles behind the knot.

"Okay," she smiled. "You've got it."

The two of them smiled back politely and walked away towards the camouflage section.

"Trust me," Parker called after them, her voice lowered a little. "That knot will come in handy."

* * *

Peeta probably hadn't given a second thought to what the odd trainer just said, but Katniss sensed the sincerity in her last line. It was almost as if she just gave them a clue about the arena. She was under the strange hunch that the trainer was helping her, not both of them, her only, or she would wait until Peeta managed to do the knot as good as Katniss could before letting them go. And she wasn't just helping as a trainer. Somehow Katniss got the feeling that she wanted her, and her specifically, to win the games.

For the rest of the training day Katniss secretly took note of what the blonde trainer taught her other students, not that she had many, of course. Knot-tying was unpopular after all. However, from what Katniss could see she didn't teach anyone else the knot she taught her and Peeta. She showed other tributes some basic snares and that was it. No more mentions of falling from a great height.

Once the trainer caught her glancing at her way and Katniss could have sworn the trainer winked at her.

* * *

_An hour ago._

"Nate," Hardison said, after taking a sip of his orange soda. "I've got the blueprint of the arena."  
"How does it look?" Nate, wasting no more time, walked towards the young hacker and looked over the man's shoulders at the monitor.  
"Woods, apparently," the hacker frowned. "A lot of woods…"

Nate studied the blueprint. He saw more than woods. He saw a huge mouse trap. There was highlighted section indicating the affected area of the huge fire that the Gamemakers might create if the game got too boring; there were poisonous fruits that looked too much like the edible berries from outside the arena; hell, there were a vacant area with a horn in the middle, marked as the "Cornucopia", where there were tons of supplies and weapons to attract the tributes so that the audience could enjoy some great fights between the teenagers for those most needful things.

Most of all, he took a mental note to those trees, which easily stood a hundred feet high. Well, at least he knew now what Parker would teach the girl.

* * *

Sophie at this moment was sitting in the training room and chatting with other Gamemakers casually. She occasionally darted her eyes over to see how the kids from Twelve were doing. She smiled when she realized they were doing a bit more than fine.

The girl was a natural when it came to survival skills. Sophie noticed as much when the girl picked up on Parker's complex knot so quickly. And the boy was a pure artist in camouflage.

It was a bold suggestion for even Sophie when she pointed out that they should present Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as a team, as _partners_, instead of two tributes. She'd got that idea when the two of them entered the City Circle holding hands. Crowds and Gamemakers would love them, both of them, for the twin act.

Nate considered Sophie's idea for a short while, and finally decided she was probably right. The first rule to winning any game was to win the crowd, he'd learned as much when the team stole an election some years ago. All they did was playing some mild Yoda mind tricks to the people to let them think they loved the stammering, way-too-straightforward candidate enough to vote him as their next president. It really wasn't half as hard as the team had expected at that time. They didn't even need to get enough votes for their candidate to actually win the election. No, no, no, thieves didn't win an election. They stole it, by some scams and some manipulations. And, admit it, the stupid, twisted, luxury-blinded rabbles in the Capitol were practically screaming to be manipulated.

And Sophie Devereaux was one hell of a manipulator.

* * *

Nate watched the training room through the security cameras while listening to Sophie's hints, hidden in her conversation with the Gamemakers, about how Katniss and Peeta were doing. The grifter seemed fairly pleased about the two hanging around together.

Then, like a flash, a new idea came to Nate, an idea even bolder than Sophie's. Through the camera he could see the way Peeta looked at Katniss. It was more than just one person looking at another. _Much_ more than that.

A vague new plan started to form in his flooding sea of ideas and silently he smiled in his own _let's-go-break-the-law-one-more-time_ way.

He knew the rule said twenty-four went in and only _one_, not _two_, came out, but he was never a big fan of rules.


	7. Chapter 7: The Allies

**A/N: Finally! I'm sorry it takes so long. From now on I am hoping to update on a weekly basis. The chapters will most probably be updated on every weekend.**

**Thank daeb for commenting on the last chapter and again thank Alyssa A for your continuing support! It means a lot to me.**

**As usual, feel free to point out any mistake you see.**

**Hope you'd like this chapter. And be sure to review if you feel like it.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Allies**

It was not going to be easy and Nate knew it well. A lot was at stake, but he couldn't bring himself to care about that, not yet, not when he knew the new plan could change everything the people in Panem ever knew.

_One victor. _The ultimate rule of the entire Hunger Games. What carried better message than to violate that sacred law?

Despite what the Capitol wanted people to think; no matter how hard the government tried to want everyone feel alone and helpless, nothing was actually in absolute control by the president. After the 74th Hunger Games, Nate would make sure every one of the Panem citizens see that.

No one could do everything alone, especially when it came to winning a killing competition.

Now, the question was how and when he would break the news to his fellow teammates.

* * *

Here it came, the private training sessions. Sophie was dressing in purple, just like all other Gamemakers. She watched the kids walk around playing with swords, sandbags and whatever they could find in the gymnasium. Some of them were good, especially those from District 1, 2 and 4, but some were pains in the neck to watch. Those smaller kids would tried to use an axe on the dummy and ended up being pulled forward clumsily by the weight of the axe. Some other tributes hit the sandbags without causing any impact on them. Sophie started to yawn after six districts.

That was not a good sign. If Sophie, who was trying so hard to keep focus until District Twelve, could feel so bored by the training, the others could not be paying any attention to the tributes at all. Right now the majority of other Gamemakers looked half-drunk already. She needed to help Katniss to stand out from the other twenty-three.

Rue, the little girl from District Eleven, entered the room and bowed a polite bow to them. Then, surprising every Gamemaker, she jumped and grabbed the rope connecting to a sandbag. After getting a hold on the rope and her body completely leaving the ground, she jumped to another rope and started going faster and faster, ropes to ropes. Sometimes she used the archery targets to hold her feet or she'd step on the shoulders of the dummies to get to another rope. And she went on and on. In the fifteen minutes of training, her feet had never touched the ground. When she was dismissed, almost every one of the Gamemakers was smiling in appreciation.  
"Gentlemen, ladies," Sophie also smiled, not only for the little girl's performance, but also she knew at least some of others' attention were back to the tributes. "I'd say that's at least a seven." And the others nodded in agreement.

The next was Peeta. Although the team was rooting for Katniss Everdeen, Sophie couldn't help but crossing her fingers secretly to hope the boy could get a higher score to survive longer in the arena. The outcome didn't disappoint her. For fifteen minutes Peeta did nothing but throwing every single heavy object he could use in the room around, and for fifteen minutes the objects' flying distance hadn't decreased at a bit. Sophie was surprised at how the boy who couldn't tie a knot properly and who was good at painting could have that kind of strength. Unfortunately not a lot of Gamemakers was taking note to the scene.  
"How about an eight for his strength?" she suggested again. The other simply shrugged in a _whatever-you-say_ manner. It was really irritating. It was the kids' lives they were toying with and they didn't even have the decency to notice them.

It was finally Katniss's turn. She walked in with confidence and looked at the Gamemakers, her eyes looking thoughtful. Sophie knew exactly what she was thinking: _No one was paying attention_. Both of them sighed.

At first Katniss tried to shoot a dummy but missed. Sophie felt her heart pumping out of her chest. She knew what the girl was capable of. Hardison had shown her the satellite images of her hunting in the wood. She was an excellent archer, but right now she was under stress and using a strange bow. Sophie watched Katniss take a deep breath and practiced on the normal targets. She shot again and again until she was shooting at the bull's-eye every time. Then, she went on and shot every difficult target she could see in the room. The dummies, the sandbags, even the lights, none of those things escaped Katniss's arrows. Sophie watched in amazement, thinking how great the girl's skill was. She was sure this time the others would notice her, until she turned and saw most of her fellow Gamemakers were focusing on a damn roast pig instead of Katniss. She turned back and saw the girl holding the anger resembled her own.

_Think_, Sophie Devereaux, _think fast_. How could she help the girl to get the attention and the score she deserved? She looked around at the Gamemakers who wanted nothing more than to go back to what cozy, oversized, bad-tasted homes they had. All they wanted was a pleasant surprise for tonight.

Sophie turned and looked at the girl and found Katniss's eyes fixated on her as well. She must have noticed Sophie was the only one watching right from the start. Sophie smiled wickedly at Katniss and signaled her to look at the roast pig. She did and her mind was racing fast. Eventually her glance stopped at the apple in the pig's mouth. Sophie knew she was tempted. She winked at Katniss again when the sixteen-year-old looked back at her doubtfully. Finally, the girl inhaled and aimed her arrow at the apple. Once she'd got an aim, she shot without a second thought.

The arrow went straight into the apple and pinned it onto the wall behind.

For almost a minute the air in the Gamemakers squad froze. Sophie almost laughed when the Gamemakers stared at each other like some total idiots. One of them, someone named Plutarch Heavensbee, if Sophie was not wrong, actually tripped backward into the large bowl of punch. Sophie quickly made a sign to Katniss. _Leave now_, she ordered the girl silently. _Leave now and they would be impressed_. The girl got the hint but apparently she decided to do one more thing first.

"Thank you for your consideration," she said coldly to the other Gamemakers and walked away with one last glance at Sophie. She was almost sure that she saw the girl smiled a playful smile at her before leaving. _That girl got some characters_.

After another minute of dead silence everyone suddenly burst out laughing. They came here to be surprised by the tributes and they'd definitely got all the shocks they wished for. And looking at each other's terrified face was just so unbelievably hilarious.

Sophie joined the laughter, mainly at Katniss's success in her private training session. This time, she didn't need to make any suggestion to the score.  
"I'd say eleven for her attitude." It was Seneca Crane, the Head Gamemaker, who made the statement. All of them, even Plutarch Heavensbee who was busy cleaning the punch off his hands and clothes, nodded and laughed again until tears went down their cheeks from the laughter.

* * *

"You know, Heavensbee is on our side." Quinn suddenly said when the three of them finally stopped laughing at what was on the TV screen showing inside the gymnasium. The faces of the Gamemakers killed Nate, Hardison and Quinn in the hotel room.  
"What?" Nate'd heard that, but he couldn't quite process the fact.  
"Plutarch Heavensbee," Quinn said again. "I once saw him contacting someone outside the Capitol with a weird radio he hid in his sleeve. I was standing far away, but I can read lips. He mentioned something about the time wasn't right. They would have to find a better time to bring Snow down. Then he asked about how Thirteen was doing. That's when I knew about District Thirteen."

Well, that changed everything.

Nate had thought this job was close to impossible, but since the mission had started, more and more allies were gained. Suddenly, odds were beginning to be in their favor. He wasn't the only one feeling this. Hardison looked at him with a bright grin, and Nate could literally hear the others' minds working on a turbo through his earbud.

Well, now, with everyone in a good mood, seemed to be the right time to reveal his new plan.

"Guys, change of plan," Nate said through his earbud. "Both Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen would be winning the games."

Now, he'd officially ruined the moment.


	8. Chapter 8: The New Plan

**Ok. I'm really sorry about the delay. When I said I'd update on weekends, I _did_ realize that Monday does not count as a weekend. It's been a crazy week and I have to postpone it for a day. (And technically it's early Tuesday in where I live, so..) Again, my apologies for that.**

**This is the shortest chapter so far, since I had a hard time dividing parts into appropriate length. Hopefully next chapter can be longer.**

**As usual, I would like to thank you all for the alerts and favorites and comments, especially you, Alyssa A, for reviewing on almost every chapter, with some solid advice and questions too! I really appreciate it.**

**So, here it is, the newest, and the shortest, chapter. Btw I've just got a new keyboard and I'm still getting used to it, so I hope I haven't got any typing mistake. (I've tried to correct everything, but somehow Ithink I may have left some out.)**

**Chapter 8: The New Plan**

With what Nate'd just said anyone's feel for a celebration disappeared completely.

"You can't be serious," said Haymitch, who had kept Eliot's earbud on 24/7 as Nate told him to. The other simply waited for an explanation. He was just excited as everyone else, maybe even more than them, since Katniss was his mentee, and just as outraged by Nate's statement.

"I've already thought this through," Nate answered in a tone with no room for argument. "This is the best way to make a point."

"And how exactly are you planning to bring two people out of the arena alive?" Hardison asked. "You do realize this is a nation-wide live broadcast event and there's no way we can go by the rule without anyone protesting right? It's impossible. IM-PO-SSI-BLE!"  
"Nate, there's no way the Gamemakers are gonna be okay with two tributes walking out alive. It's not like grifting or stealing that you can change things without anyone knowing," Sophie whispered to her earbud. The other Gamemakers weren't standing far away, greeting each other goodnight.  
"Nate, as smart as you are you just can't…" Eliot tried as well.

"Ok, hold on!" Nate snapped impatiently. "We've promised we will save this country and all the people in it. Now if any of you can think of any way that can have the effect towards the audience we need, spit it out. 'Cause from where I see it there is no way people will suddenly unite and stand up against the Capitol, not even if Katniss Everdeen actually wins the game. All they'd know is that the girl from the coal mine had won, maybe with style, even, but in the end it's all gonna be forgotten. You know why? Because every year there's a new victor. It doesn't matter you win the games by fighting hard or being smart or simply being lucky. _People win every year_. Maybe we can help Katniss to win and maybe she will have a fantastic show, but in the end, she's just another victor who kills her way out the arena alive. What's the point to it?"

When everyone went silent to think it through, Nate continued.  
"Haymitch, you've won the games yourself, and from what I heard you did it by outthinking the Gamemakers. The force field, huh? Bet none of them saw that coming. You've got the style; you've got the audience's respect. Tell me, what difference have you made?"

Haymitch didn't respond. Of course he knew the answer. _He'd changed nothing._ Well he'd successfully got his entire family killed by that, but that's hardly a difference anyone needed. He knew it well: No matter how good Katniss did in the games, it just wouldn't be enough. She could do all she wanted to humiliate the Gamemakers like she already did; she could challenge the Capitol by not killing anyone in the arena, but they all knew it wouldn't change anything. People would stop talking about her victory once the games officially ended. The next Hunger Games would come, and no one would ever mention the girl on fire anymore.

What about both Katniss and Peeta walked out of the arena? It would be a different story. He could picture the audience's faces in his mind. Shock, awe, disbelief, and, most of all, anger – not towards the two of them but towards the Capitol, the Hunger Games, _the president_. The blindfold that had been covering the people's eyes for over seventy years would finally be ripped off. The Capitol may be powerful, but the will of people was even more so.

Finally, Haymitch sighed.  
"How are you planning to do that?"  
The others sighed as well, knowing there was no other alternative and their leader was, as usual, probably right.  
"Yeah, how do you make the Gamemakers to let this happen right in front of their own eyes?" Parker asked.

"People, haven't you forgot?" Nate answered smugly. "We have our own Gamemaker."


	9. Chapter 9: The Score

**Here's a new chapter! I am just glad that I've got this out on time this time.**

**Thank you, Brandon Vortex, for reviewing the last chapter. Again, thank everyone who'd read the story, whether you're just dropping by or you've actually read through the whole thing. And thanks for all the review and alerts. Special thanks to Alyssa A for the support :D**

**I still haven't figured out how long this story would be but I suspect I ain't even half way there, seeing the actual games haven't even started yet. I suppose I should add more words to the future chapters. The Games themselves may not take up that many chapters since they were already described thoroughly in the book and I don't want to change any important details. All I'll do is to put the Leverage characters into the story in a way that makes sense.**

**As usual, please tell me if you spot any mistakes.**

**So, here you go. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Score**

"So how do you want me play this?" Sophie asked after a short consideration of the new situation. Even being one of the Gamemakers, it would still be next to impossible to convince other Gamemaker to bend the rules.  
"Well, first of all we…" _BANG._  
Nate's briefing session was cut of short by a sudden blast sound from the earbud.

"Now what was that?" Hardison frowned. The noise hurt his ears, and he couldn't imagine any action strong enough to give out a sound that loud, especially not after transmitted through the earbud. "Please don't tell me that's a gun."  
"Seriously, are you sure you even know how a gunshot is supposed to sound like?" Eliot growled at him. That sound was just _so_ distinctive that even Hardison should tell the difference.  
"It's just the door of Katniss's bedroom, somebody banged it shut, loudly," said Haymitch, before Hardison had the chance to retort. "She is back, and she is _not_ happy."  
"Guys," Eliot added. He was leaning close to Katniss's room door. "I think she is crying."

They all sighed. Of course the girl was crying. First she was forced to join some sick, twisted, fight-to-death match. Now she was provoked to insult the only few persons that had the power to higher her odds of survival. Looked like Sophie's reassurance that the Gamemakers would be impressed, instead of insulted, by her action wasn't quite reassuring after all.

"I should go and check her out," said Haymitch, the rest of them could immediately hear his rushing footsteps. Somewhere between where Haymitch was originally at and where he was heading Effie Trinkets joined him to go to the girl's room.

"Katniss?" Effie knocked on the locked door and yelled. "It's me, Effie. Is everything alright?"  
"Go away," Katniss screamed back from inside the room. Haymitch sighed.  
"C'mon," he said. "What's wrong?"

Meanwhile Hardison pulled out the security camera showing the inside of Katniss's room. She was curling up in her bed sobbing.

"It's okay, Haymitch," said Nate. "She's just upset. Just leave her alone for a while. She'll talk when she's ready."

Haymitch knew it was true, so he turned around a leave, dragging the still knocking Effie along with him. For just half a second Haymitch had to push down the urge to yell inside the room and tell Katniss she'd got an eleven, but he knew he'd ruin everything him and the team had worked for. The second he said that would be the second they blew their covers.

* * *

"Okay, enough small talk, just how bad were you today?" Katniss had joined the dinner silently and after a while, Haymitch, who almost went crazy after what like hours of chitchat about the weather and nail polish and diamonds and potatoes, finally decided it would be the right time to get the girl to talk about what happened in the gymnasium.

"I don't know that it mattered. By the time I showed up, no one even bothered to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song, I think. So, I threw around some heavy objects until they told me I could go."  
It was Peeta who answered first, again making the team see how smart and sensitive the boy actually was. He realized whatever Katniss was being upset about had something to do with the Gamemakers' attitude, so he went on and told everyone how annoying he found that to make the girl feel better over whatever happened in the training session.

"And you, _sweetheart_?" Haymitch turned and asked Katniss, knowing his choice of words would be enough to lure the girl to talk. Of course he didn't really need to know what happened from Katniss, but letting her say it out loud would definitely be good for her and the others.

"I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers," she admitted softly. Everyone paused and stared at the girl like in some stupid sitcoms. It reminded Haymitch so much of those Gamemakers as described by the boys in the hotel room and he had to hold his breath in order not to laugh out loud.

"_You what?_" Effie exclaimed in her supernaturally high-pitched voice.  
"I shot an arrow at them. Not exactly at them. In their direction. It's like Peeta said, I was shooting and ignoring me and I just… I just lost my head, so I shot an apple out of their stupid roast pig's mouth!" Katniss explained heatedly. Apparently Effie's voice was driving her crazy.

"And what did they say?" asked Cinna, who hadn't been talking for quite a while, gently and carefully.  
"Nothing. Or I don't know. I walked out after that."

"_Without being dismissed?_" Effie gasped again in the same tone and Haymitch wanted so bad to cover his ears, or her mouth, in that matter.  
"I dismissed myself," she spat out, something in her eyes went darkened, making Haymitch dying to let her know everything was going great, but he couldn't.

"Well, that's that," he said in his usual carefree drunk voice instead. And he focused on buttering his roll as if Katniss had just told her a boring story about her friends of friends.  
"Do you think they'll arrest me?" the girl asked worriedly.  
"Doubt it. Be a pain to replace you this stage," Haymitch said again in the same tone.

Then Katniss asked again about her family and Haymitch assured again that they'd be fine. Haymitch pointed out that the only thing they could do was to give her hell in the arena and Peeta very helpfully added that it was already a guarantee for any of them anyway. The conversation ended finally with Katniss describing the Gamemaker who knocked over the punched and everyone crying from laughing too hard.

* * *

The score was announced after dinner and Katniss's eyes went as wide as one expected eyes could get. Everyone congratulated her for the eleven and Haymitch told her it must be because of her temper.

She went back to her room, still in awe, and started to think everything over.

Suddenly an image flashed through Katniss's mind: The woman who paid attention. She didn't tell the others about that particular Gamemaker because she wasn't sure what that could mean. A few times at the dinner table Katniss had almost admitted that it wasn't entirely her idea to shoot that apple. It was that Gamemaker, the beautiful woman who looked almost as angry as Katniss was when they realized no one was watching, who hint her to shoot the pig; it was her who signaled her to leave the room without permission.

Now she'd got an eleven for those actions and she didn't know what to make of that.

She never really knew the entire process of the Hunger Games but something told her it wasn't normal to have a knot-tying trainer who specifically taught you secret tricks and a Gamemaker who told you to shoot her colleagues to get the highest score in the history of the Games. What the hell was going on with this year's Games?

* * *

After dinner Peeta Mellark had asked to speak with Haymitch alone.

"So," Haymitch looked at him and asked in his layback tone. "What do you want, kid?"  
"I… um…" Peeta hesitated. He didn't know how to put it. After some struggling, however, he decided it would be the best to just get those words out.

"I would like to be coached separately."


	10. Chapter 10: Prepare

**A/N: Ok, I'm late again. I am really truly extremely sorry for that.**

**Here's an announcement: I've been thinking about stop posting this story, just for a while. I think it might be a good idea that I finish the story first before I start updating again. It may take a month, or even more than that (life, you know), but after that I would be able to make daily updates. I'm not sure if I should do that. However, seeing my constant delays on writing a new chapter and the fact that, after almost two months, it isn't even half way through the story, I feel like there needs to be a more efficient way to update the story. What do you guys think about that?**

**Anyway, if I don't update again next week, you'll know the decision has been made. **

**As always, thank you all for reading, following and reviewing this story. Thank Brandon Vortex and Alyssa A for revewing the last chapter. I'm really glad you like my story so far. (And don't worry about that, Alyssa A, I still feel your support even if you haven't reviewed that chapter :D)**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Prepare**

"I would like to be coached separately."

As blunt as the way Peeta's request came out, Haymitch really couldn't say he was shocked.

"What, you've got intimidate by Katniss's score?" he asked casually.  
"No, it's not about that," Peeta answered immediately, almost as if insulted by Haymitch's assumption. "It's just…"

"It's just hard to think of the fact that after all the time being together, you two are going to fight against each other in the arena," Haymitch finished it for the boy. The latter simply nodded.

Haymitch sighed. He couldn't tell Peeta what he and the team were up to, but he needed to test the theory first, to see if this Mellark boy was worth their effort.

"Let me ask you one thing, Peeta," said Haymitch. "Do you want to win?"  
"I… I don't know what…" Peeta stammered.  
"C'mon, a simple yes or no. Do you want to get out of the arena alive and go home and see your family?"  
"Of course, but…"  
"And do you want Katniss to win so she can go back alive and do those things?" Haymitch didn't give him time to protest.  
"Yes, but…" he was cut off again.  
"And if you get to choose, who would you like to be the victor?"  
"What?"  
"Answer me!" Haymitch snapped. "One out of two. Who would you like to see winning this damn thing? You or her?"

Peeta looked down, not sure where this was going, but the answer was clear for him.  
"Her," he said quietly, then looked up to face his mentor again, meeting the older man's questioning glance, so he said it with more strength and absolution.  
"I want her to win the Games."

For a while no one was speaking, not Haymitch, not the team who was listening closely. They'd half suspected this being the boy's answer, but hearing him say it out loud, with no room for argument, had put all of them in awe.

"Good," Haymitch finally broke the silence. "Let's make it happen then."

* * *

The plan was simple. In the upcoming interview, Peeta would, after cracking some small jokes with his natural-born sense of humor, declare his love for the young lady that came here with him. The audience would go wild, Nate was sure. They just couldn't resist lame soap opera moments. The two of them would be trade-marked as the star-crossed lovers in the Games. The crowd would even love both of them more for that, and getting to the audience meant getting to the sponsors.

There was just one slight problem: Katniss.

Haymitch had tried (with some help from Sophie) helping the girl with her people skills. They'd practiced her being an innocent little girl, her being humble, her being arrogant, her being humorous and a lot of other approaches. Getting the girl her personal fans would be harder than expected. So far Katniss's performance was about as good as Sophie in a theatre. _Maybe even worse than that_, Nate considered in his head.

Even Nate had to admit, the girl was among the hardest people to read. He'd seen different people in his job, both his former position as an insurance investigator and now as a thief, and he seldom saw someone as changeable as Katniss Everdeen. One moment her face was completely blank and the next she was screaming with fear to take her little sister's place; she entered the gymnasium calmly and cautiously and then ended up shooting at the Gamemakers and storming out of the room.

He had absolutely no idea of how this girl would act on stage and what effect she would have to the audience. They either loved her or hated her. There was no in between when it came to an unpredictable person like Katniss Everdeen.

* * *

That night, after throwing a huge tantrum in her room, Katniss decided to went up to the roof and had some fresh air. She didn't know what else she could do. The interview was tomorrow and right then would be the time the Capitol finally realized she wasn't worth their attention and sponsorship. Who would sponsor a tribute who couldn't hide her hatred towards the Capitol and the Games and the entire situation.

"Rough day, huh?" someone said behind her, interrupting her self-loathing thoughts. The voice came from someone she didn't know. She felt her muscles tensed. Who else would be on the roof at one in the morning? She couldn't tell from the man's tone whether he was actually concerned about her or merely being sarcastic. She really wished it wasn't another tribute from a different district. It could mean a hell lot of trouble. Deciding she needed to find out the answer anyway, she took a breath and turned around. Her eyes were wide in disbelief.

It was the male Avox from her floor speaking.

* * *

It was Eliot's suggestion to teach the girl more about self-defense. Nate agreed to it.

Eliot had seen the girl with bow and arrows. _She was freaking great_, he'd give her that, but he was worried about the girl's close-range combat skill. She hadn't learned any fighting technique. All she had were years of hunting experiences, and somehow Eliot doubted it would include wrestling a deer to the ground with her bare hands.

Even with the Leverage team watching over the girl shits could still happen, and Eliot would not allow himself to see the girl getting through all the traps and disasters in the arena but got killed by other tributes for her disadvantage in size. She'd come face-to-face with someone sooner or later and Eliot would make sure she was fully-prepared for that.

"Rough day, huh?" he said while approaching the girl, seeing her shoulders tensed up. Now was as good a time as ever, since the girl had decided to come to the roof all by herself. He smiled a little at Katniss's reaction when she found out it was an Avox talking to her.

"Um… no offence, but how come you can speak?" After the shock sank in the girl seemed calmer than most people would be when they saw a mute talk.  
"None taken," Eliot grinned softly. "I sort of escaped the tongue-cutting part by threatening the person in charge of the procedure a little bit." He decided that Quinn wouldn't mind him stealing his story. The light chuckle from the man through his earbud proved his suspicion.

Katniss frowned. This was the first person she met in the Capitol who dared to so openly discuss his disobeying the government. It was odd to see a man with gut in this place (except Cinna, of course) and she trusted this man for that, despise his highly-suspicious behaviors.

Hell with it. The man obviously had issues towards the Capitol. She knew what they said about the enemy's enemy.

"Why are you here?" asked Katniss, feeling a bit reassured. "I mean, why talk to me? I might tell others about your secret."  
"Well this is a chance I'm willing to take," the man was still smiling. Something in his eyes made Katniss want to trust him. "I'm Eliot, by the way."  
"Katniss," she answered, and immediately added. "But I assume you know that already."

Eliot shrugged, not denying that fact._ Smart girl_.

"So, why are you here?" She asked again, not happy with the way Eliot brushed the question off.  
"To help," he answered.  
"How? Why?"  
"Well not a lot of sixteen-year-olds would give their life to someone else, even if it's their siblings. I respect you for that."  
"But how are you gonna help me?" Katniss still had her doubts. What the man just said didn't really explain a lot of things, but she still had to ask. If putting her faith in the strange man meant better chance of surviving and winning the Games, she should take the risks. She didn't have anything to lose anyway.

The man's warm, although self-contained, grin had never left his face.

"Well, practicing a one-on-one fight should be a good place to start with."

* * *

**Ok, so here you go.**

**Again, if I don't update next week, don't worry, I'll be back, just probably not so soon. Please don't forget about me and this story :P**

**Oh and in the meantime there may or may not be some shorter stories, just some one-shots I suppose, on Leverage, as well as some other TV and movies. No promise, though. Just say this so you know I won't completely disappear from the site.**


	11. Chapter 11: The Plan A

**Well... hi? I'm back... That is if you still remember who I am :/**

**(Warning: Long AN and apology coming.)**

**I am really, really sorry for the long break, and I am even more sorry to tell you that I haven't finished the entire story yet. I have a clear direction, but writing it out is harder than I have expected. It is possible that the update stops again after this chapter. I originally planned for this to be an author note about the extended break... (I think I've said it would be a month or a bit longer the last time. I am so sorry for that.) But then I would feel so guilty about not giving you guys something. So I didn't post the AN and instead waited until I have a new chapter done and apologize to you. Forgive me please? (Seriously, the show was over half a year ago and I still haven't updated, I hate myself for this.)**

**I have this excuse for being so late to update. It's called the "college"... But my confession is that I haven't touched this story even when I had spare time on my hand, mainly because I do not know how I want to organize and continue the story. So, for the millionth time, I am so so sorry :(**

**Finally, as usual, thank you all for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting the Game Changer Job. Rereading your reviews was what got me to finally continue this story, so thank you all! Special shout out to Alyssa, Brandon Vortex for leaving your reviews in multiple chapters. (I hope I haven't left out anyone. If I have, please tell me in the reviews.)**

**P.S. I realize I have never made any disclaimers in my story, but unfortunately that doesn't mean I own anything from either the books or the show.**

**.**

* * *

**.**

**Chapter 11: The Plan A**

The crowd cheered for Katniss Everdeen and her innocent, sweet, easy-going personality. To say the team was shocked was, well, the understatement of the century.

_Katniss Everdeen is the most unpredictable human being ever existed._

Nate had said that before and would say it however many times needed.

They had sincerely believed that Katniss would be branded as the anti-social girl after they witness her god-awful practice session with Haymitch. But no, she did great on stage. Not just great, no, she outshone all of the other tributes.

Except Peeta and his charm, maybe, but the spotlight was back on the girl-on-fire the moment he proclaimed his love for her. Then Katniss Everdeen went from the cute little giggling girl to the most desirable woman in Panem.

The team smiled, knowing they have the sponsors secured.

.

* * *

.

When Peeta saw Katniss on the roof, the first thing he noticed was her hair. It was soaked. At first he thought she was just out from a shower, but it was three in the morning so it seemed odd. Then he noticed her slightly heavy breath and came to a realization that she had just worked out. How and why he had not the damnedest clue, but he wouldn't dwell because right now he wanted to talk, and _"hey have you been working out?" _was simply the lamest conversation-starter ever, at least for the eve of the Hunger Games. _His Hunger Games. _Maybe he would ask her about that later.

So when she sat down and they started to talk they talked about the Games Party, the dancing, happy people, the Games. And how he would hate to die as one of the Capitol's pawn. In the end, Katniss told him to stay alive. Peeta almost snorted to himself. Yeah, right, stay alive, until he was sure Katniss would be safe and could then find some ways to get himself killed so that she would win. That was the plan.

Katniss left. And Peeta realized he forgot to ask her about her wet hair.

.

* * *

_._

_Three hours ago._

Katniss and Eliot met again after the replay of the interview earlier. It was her third, and no doubt the last, self-defense lesson. The games were on the next day.

They didn't talk much. The girl hit harder than usual and twice as reckless, and Eliot didn't have the heart to correct her. Katniss landed a fist on him, then a kick, then a solid hook that Eliot was proud of, then another kick… He didn't comment on her slightly off posture, he didn't reprimand her for not letting her enemy make a move first. He just blocked off the attacks and ducked when needed to. He wouldn't deny he was more than pleased when the girl managed to land a hard kick on his thigh and stumble his footing a bit. Even a professionally trained mercenary could not accomplish that easily. He supposed the urge to survive was the reason to her admirable learning speed. He could relate to that.

Eliot left when Hardison told him through the comm that Peeta was coming up on the roof.

.

* * *

_._

_Ten hours later. Two hours since the 74__th__ Hunger Games began._

The little boy from District 9 woke up in a strange room. He blinked. And he blinked again. _Is this heaven? _He had read about heaven but it was never mentioned that there were beds of white sheet and first-aid kit and IV units in that supposedly fictional place (that's what his mom believed anyway). If anything, the place looked like a hospital, a moving one, apparently. He could feel it, like he could feel the movement when he was sleeping on that train that brought him to this grandest city he had ever seen.

He checked out the place. He was right to assume its being a hospital, at least served a similar purpose if not that. There are over twenty beds, twenty-two, to be exact, now that he had counted, in this huge room that was about four times the size of his family's little cabin. Right now, including the one he was on, eleven beds was occupied, exactly half. They were all asleep, that or in coma, he wasn't sure. It was a hospital after all.

Wait! Why was he here in the first place? He remembered… he remembered…

_May the odds be EVER in your favor…  
Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin…  
60, 59, 58… the odds…  
29,28,27… in my favor…  
3, 2, 1…  
The girl… the pretty one…  
The one they say "on fire"… she wants the orange backpack too…  
Can't let her… ouch…  
Pain, pain and cold, wet liquid down his back…_

_He thought blood was warm._

_The world blacked out._

"Easy kid," a voice coming from the door behind him caused him to jump. He turned too quickly that he felt dizzy. It might not even be his movement. His mind was all cloudy, like he just woke up and just for a second forgot who he was and whether it was a dream he was in or just woke up from.

He turned and saw a man. A young man in his twenties, with brown skin and short hair and a comforting smile. He was wearing strange clothes. It was not like the outfits of Capitol people, and definitely not like the simple, single-colored rough clothes and pants from his home either. It was a… it was a _"t-shirt"… and "jeans"… _He had learned about those clothes once, in his history lesson. The teacher said people used to wear them over a hundred years ago… But his mom had commented absent-mindedly about how she thought people from outside Panem might still be wearing those things. She then clasped a hand over her mouth and told him to forget what she said, as if talking about places outside was a horrible, horrible thing to do. Of course, any possibility for him to forget that conversation disappeared once his mom said that.

He wondered how he could remember a stupid history lesson when he couldn't get himself to think straight. But the man was smiling genuinely, something the young boy hadn't seen in while, and he wanted to trust the man.

"Where am I, sir?" The thirteen-year-old managed. He surprised himself by not stuttering.  
"Don't worry kid, you're safe," the man answered.

Safe? Him? He wanted to laugh, laugh or cry, he wasn't sure, maybe both. He was a lot of things after his name was drawn: _a tribute, the boy from District 9, a weakling… _Pick one of those and it would be an oxymoron with "safe".

"I was stabbed, in the back," the boy whispered. "I felt it, when I was fighting over a pack with the girl… District Twelve… Then someone stabbed me. I should be dead."

"You are."

.

* * *

_._

_Two days ago._

Eliot's words kept echoing in Nate's head.

_You do realize that by choosing the Everdeen girl we'll need to let the other kids die right in front of our eyes, right?_

_Yes… Yes I do… But there is no other way… no way…_

_We can't save everyone. _That was what he answered back then. They couldn't save everyone. No way they could. No way in a million years. All they could do is to win the damn games for the girl, maybe for the boy too, if the new plan actually would work. Except…

Except they were thieves.

_And thieves don't win a game. They steal it._

Nate's lips twisted upwards, just a little bit. He would laugh out loud if he could, but the last thing he needed was to get too crazy in the middle of a crazy job. _Who cares anyway? _He was Nathan Ford, and he had a plan. And no one could stop Nathan Ford when he had a plan.

"_Alright guys, let's go steal some Hunger Games."_

He remembered himself saying it, after the first plan was set. That was his _Plan G, _where he always started with_. _But this one in his mind? It was his Plan A. The perfect plan. Perfect outcome. The one which was impossible to carried out.

If all those years had taught Nate one thing about "impossible", it was that there was no such thing.

Yes. Nate Ford and his team would steal the Hunger Games. They would steal the Games together with the tributes. For once in seventy-four years. No one would die.

No one.

.

* * *

_._

_I should be dead. _The child had said. He looked frightened.

Under this circumstance Hardison could think of a lot to say, to comfort the boy who was the first to wake up among the eleven. _Don't worry, you are not, _or _We've faked your death in the games so that you won't be actually dead _was probably a good place to start.

"You are."

Hardison said these two words before he could think and sighed at his own stupidity. _Dammit Hardison, of all the dumb things to say. _The boy blinked.  
"No offense, but this hardly look like heaven, or hell, for that matter," he said, a bit too coldly. Hardison supposed being dragged into a fight-to-the-death "game" could do that to a thirteen-year-old, but it was creepy. The boy was small in size. His eyes were of bright blue color. He was a cute kid, if too young to be handsome. And from the way he spoke when he just woke up _(sir, he said_, frankly Hardison was surprised._)_ he could tell the boy was raised right too. Yet there he was, talking about hell like he didn't give a damn. He sighed again.

"What I meant was," he said. "To the world, you are dead. You are now on the Capitol's hovercraft for the 'dead bodies'."

"Then why ain't I dead?" the boy looked more awake now, and more organized.

Hardison smirked. _Why indeed._

_._

* * *

_._

_Two days ago._

This was an odd bunch of crew. Quinn had already decided when he first met the infamous hitter. _Eliot Spencer. _Basically anyone who would work with, instead of hire, Eliot Spencer was odd. Once he met the team, he realized Eliot Spencer might be the most normal of them all.

The leader of the gang was Nathan Ford. Ford, as in _Jimmy Ford's son. _He could tell both father and son were damn good con artists. Then there was this "Sophie", as they called her, though he doubted that was her real name, who could actually play the part of a Capitoller so flawlessly. And a hacker who could hack in the Capitol government. That was… breathtaking. Yeah, he wouldn't want to downplay the hacker's genius level by saying it was cool. Finally, there was Parker. _The _Parker. Possibly the greatest thief of all time. People had told him she was weird. Now he knew first hand.

He had heard of all those names. Well, maybe not Sophie Devereaux, but _Charlotte Prentice _definitely rang a bell.

The team wasn't aware of how familiar Quinn was with the outside world, mainly because they assumed he was from Panem. He had considered telling them, of who he was, why he was here in the first place, and most of all, whohe _worked for_.

Well, he would tell them, sooner rather than later, only because he was convinced that Nate Ford would find out the truth eventually. If he waited until they found out he might not have a chance to explain himself, and he would lose his ticket out of here.

Right now he was sitting on the couch looking at Hardison pressing number pattern on his computer in the presidential suite of the Panem Grand Hotel _(that's the lamest name one could come up with for a hotel like this, _he thought).

_Tell them now, _said a voice in his head. _Tell them now before it's too late._

Then another voice, Nate Ford's voice, came from both behind him , right out of the man's own room, and the earbud in his right ear. Something about a new plan, _again, _and Sophie answered something like hating him saying that. He wasn't listening. _Tell them now, not later, not sooner, NOW, _NOW!_…_

In his own mind Quinn was composing the best speech for his confession. Until he heard what the new plan of Ford's exactly was.

_"They all live."_

_Well, maybe later._

_._

* * *

_._

**So here is the new chapter. Reviews, both positive and negative, are more than welcomed. (I actually wouldn't mind rude languages in your reviews if you would tell me the reason, not that I've ever received any. You guys are too nice to me :P)**

**Oh and if you remember, the Plan G is a reference to the episode The Gold Job. That episode, although awesome, actually had some major mistakes regarding the Chinese languages (I am a Hong Konger, so I guess I can say I am quite familiar with basic facts about common Chinese dialects) that I can't resist not pointing out, but I don't want the author note of this chapter become too long that the story itself becomes the minor, so maybe I would mention about that later...**

**See you till next time. It won't be as long as the last time. I hope I can say I promise but "promise" was too big of a word for someone like me :(**


End file.
